Virginia lawmakers are proposing a plan that would allow them to review any federal deployment of the state’s National Guard members.
The measure, called the National Guard Integrity and Democracy Protection Act, comes in response to President Donald Trump’s deployment of National Guard members to cities across the country to address crime.
The bill would prohibit the Commonwealth’s National Guard from being used to interfere in an election and ensure there’s a legal review of any deployment. It also requires information about how deployments are funded, Del. Dan Helmer said.
The goal, Helmer said, is “we make sure that Virginians are never used against their fellow Americans.”
“As we watched what was going on in South America, the need to really think about making sure that the deployments of Virginia National Guardsmen are legal became even more important, and this weekend proved that further,” he added in an interview with WTOP.
Helmer, an Army veteran, said the measure also establishes a reporting mechanism, so leaders know where troops are deployed and the reason why.
Virginia is part of an anti-narcotics coalition that allows the deployment of its National Guard members, “which made something like this even more important. And we know that our National Guard have been deployed in places like Iraq and the Middle East because of the actions of the previous administrations,” Helmer said.
As for whether the measure will receive bipartisan support, Helmer said lawmakers have worked with retired admirals, generals and Department of Defense officials “to make sure that we craft a bill that is tailored in a way that protects Virginia National Guardsmen.”
After November’s election, Democrats control both chambers of Virginia’s General Assembly.
Helmer said lawmakers have “worked very closely” with Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger’s team “on a whole broad range of issues, and we are focused on making sure that we provide the opportunity for the General Assembly to review the legality of deployments.”
In a recent op-ed, Helmer said he’s “devastated at the disregard for American interests globally and the rule of law at home that have made such an Act necessary.”
This year’s General Assembly session is scheduled to start next week.
